Is Gates Foundation a good company to work for?

Gates Foundation has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 699 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 62% of employees would recommend working at Gates Foundation to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Gates Foundation have been left by employees working as Program Assistant , Senior Program Assistant and Associate Program Officer .

Does Gates Foundation pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Gates Foundation employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Gates Foundation. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Gates Foundation?

62% of Gates Foundation employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Gates Foundation 3.3 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.4 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Gates Foundation?

Program Officer (56) , Program Assistant (40) , Senior Program Officer (36) , Deputy Director (20) , Senior Program Assistant (16) , Associate Program Officer (12) , Program Coordinator (11) , Project Manager (9) , Director (7) , Program Manager (7) , Senior Officer (6) , Associate Strategy Officer (5) , Consultant (5) , Intern (5) , Senior Program Coordinator (5)

What are the pros of working at Gates Foundation according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are great and very comprehensive" ((in 140 reviews)); "Great people all working towards the same mission" ((in 57 reviews)); "There are so many great colleagues and experiences to learn from." ((in 49 reviews)); "it was alright and good pay" ((in 18 reviews)); "great team to work with." ((in 14 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Gates Foundation according to real employee reviews?

"Culture is toxic and impractical" ((in 40 reviews)); "Instead, she seems more concerned with promoting her own profile than reforming bad management." ((in 25 reviews)); "You will be the luckiest if you end up in a team that has a great manager." ((in 19 reviews)); "Most of the senior leadership at this (global organization) is white and male" ((in 18 reviews)); "Terrible work/life balance." ((in 15 reviews))

What are employees saying about Gates Foundation layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Gates Foundation layoffs and their outlook for job security at Gates Foundation in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Gates Foundation locations?

Seattle , Washington , New York , Chicago , Ridgewood , North Chicago , Vienna , Phoenix , Omaha , Arlington , San Antonio , Virginia , Los Angeles , Mountain View , Palo Alto , United , Laurel , Jacksonville , Boston , Cambridge , Springfield , South Seattle

Gates Foundation reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(561 total reviews)

Mark Suzman

81% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (561 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Gates Foundation has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 561 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Gates Foundation employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

561 reviews

3.0

May 3, 2018

Great mission, great people, challenging org politics

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

People are kind and are there for a purpose; mission is very inspiring

Cons

It is really hard to get things done; norm of consensus decision making means everyone gets to weigh in on everything; program areas have all the power, operations teams are second class citizens

5.0

Apr 26, 2018

A great opportunity!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work. Intellectually stimulating. Working to make the world a better place.

Cons

Fast paced and demanding (compared to many other charities).

Gates Foundation Response

8y

Thanks for this great feedback. And yes, as self-described "impatient optimists," we do have a thing about being fast-paced and demanding! -chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

4.0

Apr 22, 2018

Excellent benefits

Senior program officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working at the Gates Foundation comes with a fantastic suite of benefits including 1 year maternity/ paternity leave. To a one, the employees are focused on making the world a better place.

Cons

As the biggest foundation in the world, there’s a fair amount of bureaucracy. The ease of dealing with it is largely dependent on the particular manager.

Gates Foundation Response

8y

Thanks for your input and we will remain 100% all-in on "everyone deserves a great manager." -chris.ernst@gatesfoundation.org

Viewing 310 - 312 of 561 Reviews

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Jobs at Gates Foundation

Senior Communications Officer, Brand Experiential Design

Senior Research Scientist, Population Health Modeling (Nutrition and Disease) (*2-year LTE)

Senior AI Engineer (*3-Year LTE)

Senior Program Officer, Measurement, Learning, & Evaluation (9 month LTE)

Deputy Director, Artificial Intelligence & Digital Health Evidence and Learning